messengersunion

Saturday, October 29, 2011

ANSWER OCCUPY OAKLAND'S CALL FOR BAY AREA GENERAL STRIKE:SICK-OUT, WALK-OUT, OR SLOW-DOWN WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 2nd!

We're SICK of getting screwed by Wall Street and our industry!

Occupy Wall Street has morphed into a historic global movement taking a bold stand against economic inequality and the crisis of the "1%". Every day more and more thousands of the 99% step onto the stage of history to call for real and long-overdue change. And now, thousands of ordinary people at Occupy Oakland have called for a general strike. This means a truly historic chance for us in the 99% to stake our claim to a better future. The 1% are starting to listen.

Couriers and delivery workers have immense power to weild in this effort. Commerce stands still if we don't move it. That means the 1% is nothing without us. The wealth we create at work keeps flowing up to the few who "own" the companies or "own" the banks, while we struggle harder and harder to make ends meet. We've taken it quietly, hoping to catch a break down the line which never comes.

If you suffer from any of these symptoms:

- Pay that is low, stagnating, or inconsistent- No health coverage or unaffordable health coverage- Disrespectful treatment or harassment- Work-induced stress and health problems- Unaffordable housing- Mountain of debt- Hunger or want for necessities- Sense of powerlessness or hopelessness for the future

then take a "wellness" day to recuperate! Let Wall Street and this rotten industry know you're SICK of getting screwed! Most employees in SF have a right to paid sick days through the SF Paid Sick Leave Policy (2006). It is our right to take the day off to improve our health!

This is our historic opportunity to start turning things around. Answer the call for a general strike November 2nd. Walk out, sick out, or slow down.

For more info or to join mass demonstrations that day, visit the websites below or call 415-789-MESS(6377).

Friday, August 12, 2011

SAN FRANCISCO – Friday, August 12, The IWW Couriers Union Organizing Committee publicly asserts the right of workers at Speedway Delivery and Messenger Service, and throughout the courier industry, to a living wage.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

With the decline in the US of industries with traditional union strongholds and a rise in precarious, de-skilled, or informal workplaces (food service, retail, etc), worker organizing has had to adapt to a very different terrain within which to operate and succeed. In many ways, the messenger-courier industry counts among the most precarious industries (uncertainty of employment, high turnover, low labor standards, etc). So, just as at Starbucks and Jimmy John's, our forms of struggle have had to adapt to a new reality. The old approach of mainstream, "bread and butter" unions has lost traction and can't operate in this new workplace terrain. But new, adaptive forms of "unionism" have had unprecedented success, especially IWW campaigns in the courier industry and even at large chains like Starbucks.

This leads us to re-examine what "union" really is, in essence. Our work has been to form a practice that overcomes new obstacles to workers coming together, and to disprove the myth that we can't do shit to affect the day-to-day reality of working people. This article tackles these questions, drawing on the experience of IWW organizing, and proves that just as always, we workers still have the power to change our lives and make history.

This article will appear in the summer 2011 issue of the Dispatch, the IWW courier newsletter.

Who the What?!

We are an organization run by and for the workers of the same day delivery (courier/messenger) industry in North America. By uniting across the industry - drivers, bikes, dispatchers and other office staff - we are forming an independent organization to improve working conditions and secure our livelihoods. We are affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), an international member-led union founded in 1905 for all working people.

What We Want

Courier Industry Aims & Demands

A Living Wage:Fight poverty with adequate pay and fair commissions. No messenger should ever be paid less than 50% of each tag. No messenger should be paid less than $12/hour, or the living wage for their area (higher in New York City, San Francisco, etc). All messengers should be fairly compensated for oversize and overweight parcels and waiting time.

Health & Wellness Benefits:Affordable employer-provided benefits and workers compensation. Paid sick days and bonuses for extreme weather days. Retirement opportunities and pensions for all throughout the industry.

Fair Hiring Practices:An end to nepotism and discriminatory hiring and firing.No more over-hiring that keeps pay low.

Transparency:Hold companies accountable for customer rates and your pay. Full commission reports for work performed, and access to records of customer rates.

NO to NICA (National Independent Contractor Association):End all pay-to-work scams that misclassify workers as Independent Contractors and force them to pay for their own employment, while taking away our rights and failing to provide quality benefits. Organize workers classified as ICs alongside workers classified as employees.

Grievance Procedures: Efficient and accessible processes for resolving workplace grievances, involving the grieved in the process every step of the way.

Dignity and Respect on the Job:Dignified and respectful treatment from bosses, dispatchers, clients, and security guards. We demand the right to refuse service to rude or threatening clients and building security.

Union Democracy: We are strongest when leadership stays on the job. Our organization will foster the attitude that 'we are all leaders', as each and every member is a vital component of a healthy whole. We will achieve all of the above and more as an organized, self-reliant and empowered courier community.

Absolute Solidarity:Stand together with messengers in the industry everywhere regardless of race, gender, age, sexual orientation or immigrant status. Honor all picket lines in any industry with our proactive support. We will strive always to live by our motto: 'An injury to one is an injury to all'.